


ONE

by amistad



Series: It's about old friends (and rivals)... [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, M/M, the maitos are literal sunshine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28334718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amistad/pseuds/amistad
Summary: A collection of vignettes set to the tune of my original poetry + fragments of Richard Siken's "Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out"
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Series: It's about old friends (and rivals)... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076018
Kudos: 8
Collections: KakaGai Week 2020 entries





	ONE

**Author's Note:**

> It was a warm summer night in Konoha.
> 
> If you looked carefully, you could see groups of birds (two or three, sometimes four) perched on tree branches, singing themselves to sleep, just like they did the night before and the one before it. Tonight should’ve been no different. Tonight should’ve been more quiet. 
> 
> Except it was still Kakashi’s birthday and this was the first year he’d allowed himself to spend it with someone else after Sakumo died.

These are the sort of things brave people say:

Here I am, 

my own brand of unspeakable loneliness

reaching out 

an invisible hand towards you. 

And you,

with all knowing eyes and an all knowing soul

reaching out in the dark, _who are you?_ Can you hear me?

I can already tell ours is bound to be a long story. 

Here we are,

unspeakable loneliness to unspeakable loneliness,

brought together by the strings of fate.

Or by luck, or some kind of curse.

Here I am,

the coward. The fool. Or is that you?

Tell me, allow me to ask you, who is who in this story?

_Who are we going to be?_

* * *

It was a warm summer night in Konoha.

If you looked carefully, you could see groups of birds (two or three, sometimes four) perched on tree branches, singing themselves to sleep, just like they did the night before and the one before it. Tonight should’ve been no different. Tonight should’ve been more quiet. 

Except it was still Kakashi’s birthday and this was the first year he’d allowed himself to spend it with someone else after Sakumo died. 

Gai and his father had been almost too kind to him since it happened, they’d cook entire meals for him and lay them down on his doorstep only when they didn’t have time to stay and dine in. Sometimes they just came to keep him company for a while. Sometimes Kakashi made it hard for them to be kind. Unintentionally, of course. They’d have to knock repeatedly until he was able to pull himself up from the couch and open the door for them. 

One time, they both barged in, breathless and sweaty. They were laughing too. Loud and brazen, and something about watching them made Kakashi’s heart ache. “Rival! Papa and I just completed 500 laps around Konoha!” Gai announced, grinning like crazy, still out of breath. When he regained composure he took one big step towards Kakashi, so as to stand right in front of him, his stance almost solemn. It looked funny on a kid his age. Especially next to another, way more tired and way quieter kid. 

“One day, I shall challenge you to a race around the village! And I’ll be the winner!” The seriousness with which he said this plucked Kakashi out of his haze for a moment, a small part of him, buried deep within, wanted to smile. Another part, this one closer to the surface, would have prompted him to accept the challenge. And yet the bigger part of him, which always held him back took over, and all he did was nod and stay in place. Feet locked on the ground as if they’d been nailed to the floorboards.

Gai never let that part of him take over, so before leaving that night he repeated, “I’ll be the winner, Rival!” and proceeded to yell goodnight with enough energy you could probably hear it from a 10 mile radius after he was well out of the house. Gai’s promise ringed in Kakashi’s ears until he fell asleep.

So when the Maitos showed up at his doorstep with a huge pile of neatly packed food earlier — a “well deserved birthday feast”, they called it — Kakashi had no choice but to let them in.

He wasn’t in the mood to make it hard for them, or anyone else for that matter. He gave up, and it happened to be a good call in the end; because later, when he found himself alone with his thoughts again, with only the songs of nocturnal birds and the buzzing of cicadas outside breaking the silence, Kakashi realized things could be much much worse. Gai among those things in particular. Gai being the _better_ of those things in particular. Yes he was noisy (too noisy), and unabashed and quite ridiculous sometimes, but he was his rival.

And if things continued to be like they’d been for the last few years, and if Gai kept the promise he made to him years ago in that classroom at the academy, then their rivalry would last for a lot longer than Kakashi would’ve ever imagined. And maybe he’d let it. And maybe, just maybe, it would be good.

**Author's Note:**

> this was my first time writing anything naruto and i think it shows...anyway i intend to update this daily for kkg week 2020 and if i end up with more than eight vignettes then i'll just continue posting them after next week.
> 
> you also might be able to tell english is NOT my first language so if you notice any grammar/spelling mistakes feel free to point them out in order to help me continue learning <3 
> 
> ps: come talk to me on tumblr im @ girlbosskakashi


End file.
